This IDC study is based on a series of interviews with senior inside sales executives across a variety of technology companies and provides a detailed examination of practices employed by product and services technology companies in managing global inside sales organizations. An effective inside sales strategy offers the unusual combination of lower costs, higher productivity, and greater customer satisfaction. Rolling this strategy out on a global stage magnifies both the challenges and the potential ROI. Leading technology companies are experimenting with different approaches to global inside sales, including centralized/distributed organizations, centralized versus regional funding, and a variety of processes and technologies designed to support an effective inside sales function. Corporate culture plays an important role in dictating which strategies will ultimately be successful, and a variety of strategies are outlined in this document.

Lee Levitt, program director, IDC Sales Advisory Service, states: "Those that find global inside sales approaches that work within their organization will enjoy significant ROI as their reward."

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